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by Smrtypantz
Summary: Alfred used to be the "fat" kid, and it's made him incredibly self-conscious. When he's made a spectacle of at a party, Arthur comes at his defense and teaches him that he shouldn't be so insecure, especially around him, not when they love each other so


**A/N:** Fic is ukus and, as a **warning**, there is sex. Not much else to say now, but I have a longer author's note at the bottom. For now:

Enjoy~

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The immediate spray of hot water felt amazing on his skin. He felt the stickiness of the wine that had been spilled on him drip away as he closed his eyes in relief.

Alfred was really lucky Francis had let him use his shower. It was kind of his fault anyway. It's true that maybe Alfred really should have paid more attention to where he was going, but then again, Francis should have too! One minute, Alfred was walking backwards, waving goodbye to someone he had just made idle chat to, and the next minute he bumped into Francis and had a glass of wine spilled over the top of his head.

Not exactly the greatest way to start a party, or whatever this fancy get-together was.

Francis was celebrating the redecoration of his house or something. He had gotten it renovated with a new kitchen, dining room, and amazing lounge, which just so happened to be the place where he had accidently spilled the red wine on top of Alfred. Poor Francis was probably having a heart attack over the splotch on his carpet right now, but Alfred had to admit that, at the time, Francis had really seemed more concerned with Alfred and getting him clean.

His white button-up shirt had been haphazardly thrown onto the bathroom's counter, a blotch of red on the collar and left shoulder. The rest of his clothes were placed a little more neatly beside it. Luckily none of the wine had spilled on his pants. A red stain on a shirt was embarrassing, but a stain a little further south? That was a whole new level.

Alfred felt his cheeks redden. Everyone would undoubtedly stare once he finished showering and put his clothes back on. He liked attention, sure, but only when that attention was something positive, not something embarrassing like this! Hopefully Francis would find it in his heart to give him one of his precious designer shirts. Heck, he probably wouldn't mind making Alfred put on that crap, just so he could admire him and his "form", as he liked to put it often.

Alfred chuckled to himself as he was reminded how Arthur would always get so pissed off whenever Francis tried to make a move on him. But Francis made a move on everybody, so Alfred pretty much just ignored it at this point. As long as Francis kept his hands to himself, he'd put up with the guy. Francis could be a pretty interesting guy once you got past his lecherous sort of attitude.

The water was running down the length of his body. Alfred had been standing in the shower for some time. He wondered if Francis expected him to use his soap and hair products. He shrugged his shoulders and decided to at least use the shampoo. His hair was still kind of sticky, after all.

Alfred picked up the bottle and read the label. _Rose petals, huh?_ he thought to himself. _Well, it does suit Francis, even if it is a little girly._ Alfred squirted some of the shampoo into his hand and began to lather it in his hair. It actually smelled pretty good. He wouldn't mind smelling like roses. Better than the smell of bitter wine, anyway.

He massaged his fingers all throughout his scalp, trying to really work in the shampoo. He felt it foam under his fingers. Having a bit of fun, Alfred began to make a shampoo-mohawk, taking both of his hands and dragging them up the sides of his head to lift his hair in the middle, standing up with the shampoo as support. A few of the bubbles, however, began to trickle towards his eye (not good since he was wearing contacts today), so he stepped under the spray with eyes closed and let the shampoo wash away. He bent his head low, opened his eyes and allowed himself to see the length of his body as the bubbles raced down his sides. Alfred poked his belly and frowned to himself. There was only a slight bit of pudge, but he certainly didn't like seeing it there. He'd have to hit the gym soon. He hadn't gone in nearly three days.

After standing under the spray for just a few more minutes, Alfred finally turned the nozzles off. He hoped Francis' towels were the super fluffy kind. Stepping out of the shower, he wondered to himself how he would approach Francis for that new shirt. Placing his foot on the floor outside of the shower stall, Alfred frowned to himself. Shouldn't there be a towel or something underneath his foot instead of the slippery, cold tiles? Alfred looked down and noted that, no, there wasn't a towel or a mat or anything beneath him.

_Well, that's odd…_ he thought to himself, but shrugged it off. He looked around the room in search of a towel, except…he didn't see one. But that couldn't be right, this was a bathroom, there had to be towels _somewhere_. Alfred looked left and right, but all of the hooks were empty. His heart started racing a bit. Where could those towels be?

His eyes spotted a cabinet beneath the sink. "Aha!" he said to himself, stepping towards the cabinet and crouching down to open it. But once the doors swung open, he was greeted by emptiness. His eyes widened a bit. No towels anywhere?

Well, that was ok. He'd just have to air-dry a bit and then put on his clothes. But seriously, Francis was one weird guy for not even having towels in his own bathroom. Probably because he just liked to walk around naked everywhere around his house anyway.

A small shiver ran down his spine. He sure was cold standing out in the open like this. Alfred wrapped his arms around himself and looked towards the shower stall. It'd probably still be nice and warm in there, but it wouldn't get him dry with the humidity trapped within. Maybe if he just put on that stained shirt he'd be warmer. He didn't care what would happen to it, it was ruined anyway. But as Alfred turned towards the bathroom's counter to retrieve his shirt, a shiver ran down his spine for a completely different reason.

His shirt was nowhere to be found. Or, well, it certainly wasn't where Alfred had _left_ it. Alfred looked all across the counter, but he couldn't spot any of his clothes. They were gone!

"Shit…" he whispered to himself. Someone must've stolen them, right? But wait, why would anyone want to do that? An immediate blush reached Alfred's cheeks. _Fuckfuckfuck…_ he thought to himself, frantically looking all over the small bathroom to see if maybe his clothes had merely grown legs and decided to walk to the other side of the room instead. But no, he didn't spot them anywhere. He checked the cabinet under the sink again, behind the toilet, even inside the shower stall, thinking that maybe he had stupidly decided to bring his clothes inside with him. Nope, nowhere.

His heart sped up a little bit. How was he supposed to go outside? Naked? And who the hell decided to steal his clothes?

Alfred closed his eyes. He knew the answer to that. This was probably all Francis' idea! But, no, he couldn't blame Francis, there were a ton of other people here. There…were a ton of other people here. And he was buck-naked. "Fuuuuuuuck…" Alfred said, plopping himself down on the toilet to sit. He put his head in his hands. He rubbed at his forehead and tried to think clearly. He could always knock on the bathroom door and hope someone would be kind enough to hear him out and bring clothes. But what were the chances the person wouldn't just, you know, barge in and get a peak of little Alfred?

He groaned into his hands, spreading his fingers a bit so he could see the room before him. Above the sink, he noticed, was a medicine cabinet. Maybe…maybe there were some clothes in there? _Yeah, right…_ he thought to himself sullenly. _Who the hell keeps clothes in a_ medicine cabinet?

…Still, it was worth a shot.

Walking up to the cabinet, he quickly swung the door.

_Clothes!_

Alfred couldn't believe his success! Except…there was something off about the clothes that had been jammed between the small shelves. Alfred found a small sticky note on the back of the cabinet door. He picked it up and read what it said.

"Hope you enjoy your new attire! I think you will look positively adorable in this outfit. Can't wait to see you~!" Then there was a picture of a winking face and…the name "Francis".

Alfred crumpled the paper in his hand and threw it to the ground. So this was all Francis' idea! What, did he get some sort of sick kick from scaring Alfred half to death? Why couldn't he have just put the spare clothes next to the clothes he already had on the counter? Well, maybe he was washing them, but still!

He reached his hand to grasp the outfit. But when he pulled it out, he realized that it wasn't really a set of clothes…it was…a costume.

A pretty fucking revealing French maid costume.

Alfred felt his face grow hot. Francis didn't expect him to actually wear this thing, did he? It was so small and came with a top and bottom piece, which would completely expose his stomach. The skirt was black and had a white, lace apron attached, and it was most definitely too short to cover his entire ass. This detail caused Alfred to notice something else. This costume came with white, lacy panties.

A lump had formed its way in Alfred's throat. No way was he fucking wearing this…but, what else did he have? He didn't want to go outside like this! Everyone would see him and laugh their asses off! But no, he had to be brave. It was something, right? And maybe if he kicked Francis' ass while wearing it, he'd look at least somewhat manly? Maybe?

"Fuck my life," Alfred muttered to himself and sat back down on the toilet seat. A multitude of curses and revenge schemes were racing throughout his mind, but most of all Alfred was trying to build up the nerve to actually wear the outfit. He was brave, he was heroic, and lots of the superheroes he looked up to wore scantily clad outfits. Like…like He-man! Yeah, he hardly wore anything, and yet he was still fucking badass!

…But at least he wasn't wearing a maid's costume.

Alfred looked back into the cabinet and noticed that Francis was even courteous enough to add the feather duster to complete the ensemble. Or maybe it had come with the costume. Wait, none of this even fucking mattered!

The point was that Alfred was stuck here, naked and shivering in Francis' bathroom with nothing but a French maid's costume while there were dozens of guests right outside!

Alfred didn't feel so brave anymore. He didn't like to admit it, but…he had always been really embarrassed by his body. He used to be the fat kid in elementary school and junior high. He was constantly made fun of and…he had hated it so much. He had hated himself so much and would stare at the superheroes in his comic books, asking himself why couldn't he be more like them? Why did he have to be heavy? Why did his skin have to be so oily and his teeth crooked and his hair messy and his eyes unable to see properly?

But towards the end of junior high, Alfred had begun going to the gym with his mom who already had membership there. In the end, she was the only person Alfred was able to talk to about his insecurities. She listened to him and said that she'd help get him in shape in no time…and she did. He stopped asking for fast food and started eating what his mom ate, which consisted of a lot of fish and veggies. Alfred hated both, but it was a sacrifice he needed to make if he wanted to be like the superheroes in his comic books.

Deep down he knew he would never achieve that level of build, not unless he wanted to become a professional bodybuilder or something. That wasn't his goal. He just wanted to be fit, to be healthy, to be able to keep up with the rest of his classmates as they ran down the track during gym.

That summer before high school, Alfred had never worked harder in his entire life. Towards the end of junior high, everyone had noticed that he had already lost a significant amount of weight. He planned to use his summer months very wisely. He got into football and began practicing everyday with his dad (American football, to be exact, not that other football that was actually soccer that his British boyfriend just loved to make an issue out of all the time).

Which reminded Alfred. He had never even confided into Arthur his body issues. By the time he had gone to high school, and subsequently by the time he had first met Arthur, he was already pretty fit. He had gotten taller and grew into his skin. His skin was no longer so oily since he had started applying all of his medicinal creams every night. He had found just the right haircut for his hair, and his braces had gotten taken off and he began to wear contacts more often. All in all, he looked pretty damn good once he got to high school. But…that lingering feeling remained, fluttered about in his belly as he stared down at his stomach. Even if he looked great, there was a small part of him that was so scared what people thought about his body. That's why he was always hiding it for the most part. The only time people ever saw him without his shirt off was in the locker room, but that didn't mean Alfred didn't face away from the other athletes towards his locker so they would only see his back. Not even Arthur saw him topless that often and they had been dating for nearly a year.

And speaking of his British boyfriend, Alfred heard a knock at the door along with, "Alfred? Are you ok? It's been nearly 45 minutes, you moron! Come out of there already, you can't be _that_ filthy!"

Alfred immediately scrambled away from the door. "Uh, just a minute!" he yelled, racing into the shower stall and peaking his head out to see the door Arthur was standing behind. What if he barged right in while Alfred was naked?

The pounding on the door got louder. "Alfred, I'm really fucking bored out here and you better have a good reason for making me socialize with Francis and his lot! I don't care that you're co-workers, he's infuriating to be around!"

His face just kept getting redder and redder. What should he do? Let Arthur in? What if he laughed?

"Um, hey, Arthur?" he called out, forcing a smile and hoping his voice didn't sound too shaky.

A pause. "Are you finally done in there, Alfred? Is something wrong?" Alfred couldn't see Arthur's frown of concern, but knew it was there just from the tone of voice.

"Yeah, I'm ok…Uh, listen, can you, um, come in here for a sec? And please don't laugh!" Crap, what was he _saying_? Why did he just invite Arthur in? Why couldn't he have, like, just shouted that he needed clothes? _Shitshitshit…_

The doorknob jiggled a bit before the door swung open, Arthur stepping into the bathroom. "Is everything alright in here?"

"Oh my god, Arthur, shut the door! Shut the door!" Alfred shouted frantically from the shower stall. Arthur reacted immediately and shut the door behind him, somewhat stunned at Alfred's behavior.

"Honestly, Alfred, what has gotten into you?" he asked, turning from the door to finally face Alfred. The way his eyes widened at the sight of Alfred only made his blush worsen.

Alfred was cupping himself and hiding behind the stall, but the stall was clear and you could obviously see through it. He was going to die of embarrassment.

Once Arthur was finally coherent, he asked slowly, "Alfred…where are your clothes?"

Swallowing nervously, Alfred said, "I could ask you the same question."

Arthur's eyebrows rose. "What?"

Alfred bent his head so Arthur wouldn't see the way his face was burning. "I-I think Francis stole my clothes while I was in the shower. It was all steamy and I couldn't see and the water was loud so I guess I couldn't hear and all he left me was some cheap ass French maid costume and it's really embarrassing and please don't laugh at me!" Alfred said in a rush, clenching his eyes closed and awaiting the inevitable laughter from his boyfriend.

But the laughter didn't come. Alfred tentatively looked up to see Arthur's eyes, still as wide as they were before. "Francis…stole your clothes?"

Alfred nodded his head in the affirmative. "He left a fucking note…I kind of crumpled it. It's on the floor." He pointed to the yellow sticky note for a second before he realized only one hand was now covering himself. He quickly drew his hand back. God, this was so embarrassing…

Arthur picked up the note and straightened it, reading it aloud to himself in a small voice. His face, Alfred noticed, went from one of confusion to one of anger. His eyebrows were furrowed deeply. Arthur turned towards the counter, where the French maid costume lay. He picked it up with both hands and examined the ensemble.

"…fucking perverted bastard," he whispered to himself as he turned towards Alfred. "Don't you worry, I am going to kick that frog's ass so hard he'll be shitting into a diaper for the rest of his life!" he yelled, working himself into a fury at the situation. "The fucking nerve of him! That bloody bastard should be arrested for sexual harassment! He's always giving you perverted looks and it's high time I knock his teeth in for it! I'll-"

"Arthur! Quit focusing on Francis, I'm fucking naked in here!" Alfred shouted to get his attention. He needed clothes, and he needed them as soon as possible.

Breaking out of his tirade at the distraction, Arthur once again noticed Alfred. "Ah, yes, quite right…" he said, but then his eyebrows furrowed. "Alfred, why are you hiding behind the stall? I can obviously see you," he said.

"Oh, uh, well, I…" Alfred began, but knew he was just being stupid. He nervously stepped foot out of the stall, continuing to try and cover himself as best he could. He scrunched his toes on the cold tile floor and looked anywhere but in Arthur's eyes. He bounced a bit on the balls of his feet, trying to create a distraction for himself.

"There's no need to be so flustered, I'm your boyfriend, Alfred," Arthurs stated, crossing his arms.

Alfred fiddled his thumbs. "I know that, but…it's just really embarrassing," he said, his face turned towards the door.

Arthur sighed. "You really shouldn't have to feel embarrassed around _me_," he said while at the same time taking off his business suit jacket. He handed it over to Alfred. "Put this on. You must be freezing. I can see you shivering," he said in a very parental tone.

Grasping the fabric, Alfred brought the jacket to his chest and attempted to put it on using only one arm. Arthur, in the meantime, was taking off his shoes and unbuttoning his pants. Alfred didn't think his face could get any redder.

"Um, Arthur, what are you doing…?"

"Well, it's not like I have a spare set of clothes, so this will just have to do," he said stubbornly, pushing his pants to the ground and leaving him in just his white shirt, boxers, and socks. He handed the items over to Alfred. "Here, wear this for now. We're leaving."

"Thanks," Alfred said in relief. He was insanely grateful for the gesture, but he was still having trouble putting on the jacket with just one hand, so he couldn't take the pants and shoes just yet. Arthur looked annoyed.

"Alfred, just put on the damn jacket so we can get out of here," he ordered, crossing his arms even though he was still holding the pants and shoes.

"I'm trying!" Alfred shouted, continuing to struggle until he accidently dropped the jacket on the bathroom floor. "Oops."

Arthur looked like he really wanted to facepalm. "Alfred, you're being an idiot!"

"I don't want you to see me naked!" Alfred shouted back.

Arthur's own face heated up. "I'm your boyfriend! If I can't see you naked, then who can?"

Alfred didn't want to have this discussion with him right now. "Please, can you just, I don't know, turn around or something?" He was already embarrassed enough. He was naked, his entire stomach and chest were exposed, and damn, even his arm could feel the small pudge around his midsection as he desperately tried to cover his crotch.

Arthur looked put out, but obeyed, grumbling to himself and dropping the pants and shoes to the floor. Alfred nearly breathed a sigh of relief and scrambled to put the pants on first. They were pretty tight. Oh god, he would have a slight muffin-top wearing these! But it was better than a fucking frilly maid skirt. He quickly put on the jacket and slipped his feet into Arthur's shoes. They actually felt very big on him. Arthur had larger feet?

"Um, ok, I'm decent," Alfred said, scratching the back of his head.

Arthur turned back around, obviously disgruntled. Alfred's cheeks were still really red and it appeared Arthur noticed that since his expression changed from one of anger and hurt to one of concern and empathy. "You git," he started, "I can't believe you actually trusted Francis enough to take a shower in his bathroom."

"Well, how was I supposed to know he'd do this to me?" Alfred practically shouted, getting defensive. He did not need a lecture right now. He tried to calm himself and looked down. "Can we just…can we just leave now?"

"Not until I punch that frog's face in! Now, go shout for him! He'll come running in a second if he thinks you're all dressed up. I want to see his face when he opens the door and sees me standing here," Arthur said, his eyes glaring at the bathroom door. Alfred decided he better just listen to his boyfriend.

"Hey, Francis, you dick! Get in here and give me my fucking clothes back!" Alfred shouted as loud as he could. He heard the mingling crowd outside the door go quiet for a moment.

"Oui, coming my darling!" he heard Francis shout as he raced towards the bathroom. As soon as Francis opened the door (with no clothes in his arms, obviously), he was greeted by the sight of a very disgruntled Englishman adorned in nothing but a white shirt, a tie, boxers, and socks. It was as intimidating as it was comical.

"I am going to fucking kill you…" Arthur whispered dangerously.

From there, it was all a blur. Arthur threw a few punches and kicks, essentially pounding Francis into the ground. Alfred kind of smiled awkwardly at the small crowd that had formed to see the spectacle. He looked around, but didn't see his clothes anywhere. He did, however, notice that his cell phone and house keys were left on a nearby table. He made a quick grab for them and stuffed both items in his pocket. He tried to ignore the confused glances and questions of the people around him. He simply smiled and said it was nothing and left it at that. He tried to play it off.

When he figured Arthur had let out enough steam, he dragged his boyfriend away from the Frenchman and out the door towards the car (not before flipping Francis off, of course). He really didn't care about his clothes or getting revenge anymore. He just wanted to go home to die while hiding under the covers.

It was Arthur's car, so he climbed into the passenger seat and waited until Arthur was done ranting outside the vehicle. He pulled the car keys out of his pocket (well, Arthur's pocket) and placed it between the seats. Once he was done, Arthur nearly tore off the door and slammed himself into the driver's seat, mumbling as he put the keys in and began the ignition.

The ride to Alfred's place was quiet. Arthur was staying over the weekend, so he had his things scattered about the place. He slept on the couch.

Alfred began to awkwardly tap his toes together when he finally realized that his boyfriend was driving the car without shoes. "Uh, Arthur…you want your shoes back?" he asked as they got to a red light.

"It's fine, you need them more than I do," he replied and kept his gaze on the traffic light.

Alfred didn't say anything after that. Man, this was so awkward for him. He tried to wrap the jacket more closely around him, still really cold. It didn't fit around him the entire way and a small sliver of his chest was still exposed. _Damn_… he thought to himself, _why can't I be thinner like Arthur?_ He shook his head, trying to get rid of those types of thoughts. He shouldn't think things like that. They were more destructive than constructive.

They arrived at Alfred's home a few minutes later. Arthur parked the car in the driveway but made no move to get out. Alfred coughed awkwardly. "So, uh, guess we should head inside then," he said, making a move for the door handle.

"Wait a moment, Alfred. I think we need to talk."

Alfred groaned inwardly. He honestly (for the first time ever, he supposed) didn't feel like talking. All he wanted to do was sleep, even though it was only around 8 o' clock, latest. But, Arthur had helped him out of a sticky situation and…yeah, they did need to talk.

"What about?" he asked, putting a smile on his face. He hoped it looked genuine and ignorant.

"About _you_, Alfred." Arthur wasn't looking at him or his smile. "What Francis did today was despicable. I can understand being embarrassed by being so…underdressed in front of a large crowd. But why be embarrassed around me?" Arthur's gaze was facing away from Alfred, towards the windshield, but almost as if he was gazing past the windshield itself, far off. Alfred could hear Arthur trying to mask the hurt in his voice. As much as he felt bad for making his boyfriend (his boyfriend, his _lover_) feel that way, he couldn't help what he felt himself.

"I'm not embarrassed!" Alfred shouted in his defense. Best to just deny everything, right?

"Oh don't give me that!" Arthur shouted back, finally turning to him. "You looked absolutely flustered with me just in the same room as you! You were naked. So what?" He crossed his arms.

"W-well, I've never seen you naked!" he tried to counter.

"Alfred, we've never seen _each other_ naked because, for some reason, you're too embarrassed to have sex with me and I don't know why because you won't tell me," he said, frowning and letting his anger grow. Alfred gulped. "If…if you're ashamed to be around me, Alfred, just say so and we can both move on with our lives!"

Alfred's eyes widened. That wasn't it at all! He was never ashamed to be with Arthur. He was his whole world at the moment. He meant so much, he didn't…he would never…

But it was partially true, wasn't it? Alfred was embarrassed to be naked around his boyfriend of all people. And what could he say to Arthur? "Sorry, but I think you'll laugh if you see what I look like naked" or "I'm afraid of what you'll think if we do try and have sex but you're turned off by my body and how little experience I have"? Ridiculous little thoughts that weren't true, but so ingrained in his head, flitted about and made Alfred's cheeks redden considerably. He knew, consciously, that Arthur wouldn't laugh and that he had a great body…but the thoughts, the _thoughts_, weren't so easy to get rid of.

"Arthur, I'm not…I'm not ashamed to be with you. I love you, you know that," he said quietly, lowering his defenses.

Arthur bent his head down. "Then why is nudity and sex such a problem with you?"

"B-because, I, uh…" Alfred began, trying to think of a good enough excuse that would satisfy his boyfriend and leave his pride intact.

"Did…did anyone hurt you, Alfred?" Arthur asked suddenly, his expression one of great concern, his eyes wide.

"No, no! Not at all!" Alfred responded immediately while shaking his head.

Arthur's expression became frustrated. "Then what _is_ it?"

Alfred bit his bottom lip. Perhaps the only way to settle this _would_ be the truth. "Because I think you'll laugh!" he practically shouted in Arthur's face.

Arthur's eyes widened. "What?"

"You'll laugh, o-or think I'm all repulsive and I haven't been hitting the gym and I had those burgers last night and I feel like such a slob sometimes and who would want to have sex with me and, just, _fuck_," he said, feeling his eyes start to water. He quickly tried to wipe them away, but to no avail. Alfred hardly ever cried, so why was he crying at a time like this? Did he _like_ to purposely embarrass himself?

Silence. Arthur just continued to stare at him and it was making Alfred uncomfortable. He crossed his arms and mumbled a "it's the truth" before turning away to hide his red face (tugging the jacket around him to hide his chest).

"…you're serious?" Arthur asked quietly.

Alfred nodded. "I kinda…used to be the fat kid at school. Got made fun of all the time and…things got better in high school, but sometimes I still get all shy and shit. I know it's stupid or whatever, but I can't help it…" Alfred felt his throat tightening. Arthur probably thought he was an idiot (more so than he already did). Well, Alfred didn't care! Arthur could think whatever he thought! What Arthur thought didn't matter to him…except for the fact that it nearly always did.

He was about to make a move to get out of the car when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder, resting on the jacket. Alfred slowly turned to look at Arthur, who wore a very serious expression on his face. Alfred made to turn away again, but suddenly Arthur was on his lap, straddling him while forcing his gaze solely on himself. Both of Arthur's hands were on his cheeks, the thumbs making small circles at the corners of his eyes.

"You listen to me and you listen well. You are fucking gorgeous and anyone who thinks otherwise is a blind old fool, understand?"

He said it so seriously and commandingly that it was Alfred's turn for his eyes to widen. "What?"

"You heard me," Arthur mumbled, a small blush covering his cheeks. Arthur was hardly ever this brutally honest, especially when complimenting Alfred, something which rarely occurred. "Why do you think Francis wanted to see you in such an outfit? Because you'd look damn good in it, that's why!"

Alfred continued to stare into his boyfriend's eyes. "Q-quit trying to make me feel better!"

"Idiot, I'm not saying this to add to your already oversized ego! I'm saying it because it's true and you should damn well know it!" When Alfred didn't respond, he continued, "I wouldn't lie to you and, well, if you felt this way you should have told me sooner! The way you always go on about yourself, how was I supposed to know you were feeling this way?" Arthur's voice was in lecture mode. Alfred shifted his gaze so that it was staring at the door and not into Arthur's own eyes. He felt like a deer caught in the headlights. But what could he say now?

"It's stupid, ok? Just forget everything I said…" Alfred didn't want to continue this conversation. It seemed as if it was doing more harm than good…but then again, Alfred knew that Arthur couldn't be lying. But how was he supposed to feel with this information? He still felt so awkward with Arthur staring at him like that, able to see the small bulge his stomach made, the way the too tight pants made it noticeably bigger…

"Like hell I'm going to forget this!" Arthur shouted.

"Go ahead, just laugh like you're supposed to!" Alfred shouted back angrily.

"Why the hell would I laugh at you?" he asked, sounding angrier. "Am I really such a terrible boyfriend?"

Alfred wanted to say "no, of course not", but the words didn't come out. Instead he said, "If it wasn't for the fact that I was so freaked out earlier, you would've laughed at me in the bathroom! Just admit it!"

There was a tense silence followed by Alfred's outburst. Arthur was scowling at him but must have noticed the effect it was having on Alfred and stopped. Arthur sighed and continued to brush his thumbs against his face. "You git…yes, I admit, I would've laughed. But do you know why?" he asked, trying to get Alfred to look back up at him. "Not because I thought you looked terrible, but because of the stupid situation you'd gotten yourself into! I mean, my boyfriend trapped in stranger's bathroom with no clothes? Those are the things you watch on sitcoms!"

Alfred bit at his lower lip. Arthur wasn't doing much to help his self esteem. But then Arthur continued, "Look. If you were the most enormous person on earth, balding with bad breath, you _know_ I'd tell you to get your fat ass off the couch and into a gym. But I wouldn't love you any less, Alfred."

"You don't mean that…" Alfred said in a small voice.

"Of course I do, you idiot. But it doesn't matter, now does it? You're gorgeous. Just _look_ at you." He planted a small kiss to his lips. "If anyone says otherwise, I'll punch them in the face so hard it'll look like a bulldog used their head as a personal chew toy."

Alfred snorted at the joke. A small smile was making its way to his lips. "Promise?"

Arthur smiled back. "Of course."

This time Alfred sighed. "Sorry…for, you know, freaking out and stuff…" Alfred's smile disappeared and was replaced by a grimace.

"Hush you idiot. It's…it's understandable, considering the circumstances. I think we still have to work on that communication thing…" Arthur mumbled into Alfred's shoulder.

Alfred smiled at that. "Heh, yeah…" he said, turning his head to the blond mess of hair currently resting on his shoulder. He pressed a small kiss onto the head. It was times like this that he was really grateful to have Arthur. Blunt, overly-aggressive, amazing Arthur.

The head on his shoulder shifted so that Arthur's lips were near Alfred's ear. Arthur continued to stroke the other's cheek with his free hand as he whispered quietly, "I want to see you, Alfred…all of you, if you'll let me."

The words hung in the air for a few moments. Alfred felt his face heat up. His stomach was in knots and he was nervous as hell, but it was Arthur. He could do this for Arthur. "Yeah…yeah, ok."

Arthur lifted his head and gave Alfred a genuine smile. Alfred couldn't help but smile back as they both leaned in and began to kiss. Arthur threaded his fingers into Alfred's hair, playing with those at the nape of his neck with one of his hands. It tickled slightly, but it was a pleasant tickle. Alfred had his hands on Arthur's waist. He was still in nothing but his striped boxers, and Alfred could feel the slight juts of his hip. He rubbed the areas with his thumb in small circles as he kissed back, sliding his lips over Arthur's over and over again. He felt his heart speed up as he listened to the quiet sounds of their breath mingling, the slightly wet noises as the kiss deepened. Alfred unconsciously pulled Arthur closer, Arthur soon winding his arms behind Alfred's neck to accommodate for the small space the car offered.

They broke off a moment later, both slightly breathless and happy. "Let's get out of this blasted car first," Arthur said, making his way off of Alfred's lap and back into the driver's seat to unlock the doors. Once out of the car, they walked quickly to the front door. Neither of them wanted to be seen in such ridiculous attire.

As soon as they were through the front door, they were on top of each other, kissing and grabbing, clinging tightly and breathing heavily through their noses. Alfred was backed up against the wall by the end of the stairs. He felt hot, incredibly hot, despite the shivers that had been running down his spine earlier that day. Arthur began to press hot kisses to his neck. Alfred tilted his head back, his eyes not really focusing on his surroundings…until he caught sight of the couch. It had a blanket and some pillows and suddenly Alfred felt a pang of guilt over the situation. But he had to trust Arthur now…and he did trust Arthur. That's why…that's why this was happening.

He closed his eyes and just focused on the sensations. His hands were clumsily moving up and down Arthur's arms. He had only had sex a few times before in his life, and only once was it with another guy. He remembered in high school how Arthur was actually pretty good at getting laid despite his stick-up-the-ass attitude. Even when they were both in college, Arthur had gotten, well, a lot more action than he did and it showed. But when they stumbled into their relationship just a year ago, Alfred wanted to take things slow. All of a sudden, he became even shyer about his body because it was Arthur he was dating now, Arthur, his best friend since high school, who he thought the world of. It made things so much harder. But the way Arthur was moving his hands across the expanse of his chest and the way his lips suckled at his skin was making Alfred realize that they should have done this much, _much_ sooner.

"Let's go to my room," Alfred said suddenly, stopping Arthur in his tracks.

"Yes, let's," he agreed, pecking him on the lips as he took his hand, both racing up the steps to the bedroom. Once inside, Arthur was on top of him again. He jumped and wrapped his legs around Alfred, causing Alfred to stumble back as he tried to balance supporting his overeager boyfriend. Unfortunately, however, he knocked his head into the light switch, turning the lights in the room on.

"Ow!" he shouted, almost dropping Arthur as he used one of his hands to rub at the back of his head. Mood effectively ruined, Arthur snorted and began to laugh into his shoulder. Alfred laughed too and set Arthur back down to the floor so that he was standing before him instead of clinging to him like some sort of koala.

"You big oaf," Arthur said between chuckles.

"It's your fault for being so eager," Alfred countered, a big smile on his face.

Arthur smirked. "I can't help it when you look like that…" he said, his voice having gone a tad lower.

Alfred gave a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head. He turned towards the light switch and stared at it. He really wanted to turn it off.

Arthur noticed his stare. "Do you…do you want to turn the lights off?" he questioned, disappointment clear in his voice. Alfred swallowed.

"Um, yeah, but…maybe we, you know, shouldn't…" he said, trailing off as he continued to look away from Arthur.

"I don't want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable."

"Yeah, I know, but…" he said, turning to look at Arthur, into his eyes which looked concerned and upset even though he was trying to hide it. "I want you to see me."

He saw the way Arthur shivered at his response. Suddenly, Arthur had grabbed his hand and was leading him towards the bed. "Come."

Alfred sat down on the end of the bed while Arthur crawled into his lap. He shrugged off the jacket as Arthur began to undo the buttons of his shirt, revealing the white tank top underneath. Alfred focused on helping him get his tie off in the meantime. His face was red, but they had been topless around each other before. It wouldn't be that different now. It would become different…later.

Once the tie and the white shirt were off, Alfred began to kiss Arthur's right shoulder. He was such a bony guy, but as Arthur pressed himself closer, Alfred could feel the shifting of lean muscle beneath his lips and fingertips. He was bony, but he was also lean and taught with muscle. Alfred trailed his hands underneath the tank top across his lower back, kneading his knuckles into the vertebrae. Arthur shivered and removed his tank top, leaving both of their upper bodies bare.

Suddenly, Arthur had crashed their bodies together, sending Alfred straight into the mattress. Both of their chests rubbed together as they kissed, feeling and discovering each other's body. Alfred brought his fingertips up and down the Arthur's sides, coaxing different reactions in different places. Arthur let out a small hum of contentment, shifting and beginning to kiss his way down Alfred's neck and chest.

Alfred shifted up the bed so that he was resting against the pillows as Arthur followed. Alfred rubbed at his forehead, which was starting to sweat a bit. Arthur was once again on his chest, sucking at skin he never got the chance to taste before. Alfred focused on breathing as Arthur took a nipple into his mouth and sucked, running his tongue over it and simply tasting Alfred.

Both of their eyes were closed. Alfred had his hands on Arthur's back, coaxing him to continue, but soon Arthur was up, straddling him and bringing their faces together to kiss once again. Alfred had to use his hands to push him up a bit to reach Arthur. When Arthur broke the kiss, he began to remove his socks. That's when Alfred noticed he was still wearing Arthur's shoes, so he kicked those off as well.

"You know Arthur, I think you have bigger feet than me," Alfred mentioned with a smile.

"Hmph. Do I now?" he said, massaging Alfred's shoulders with his hands once he was done taking off his socks. "Never would have guessed that, honestly…"

"Maybe we should've played footsie more often?"

Arthur snorted. "We can play footsie after this," he said and made his way for Alfred's pants, cupping Alfred through the fabric. Alfred gasped at the feeling. Arthur rubbed his hand over the bulge, watching Alfred's face to gauge his reaction. Slowly, his fingers reached for the zipper.

"W-wait!" Alfred shouted before Arthur could continue. Arthur said nothing, hand still resting in between Alfred's legs. "Y-you first…" Alfred said quietly, his face flushing.

Alfred saw Arthur's face heat up as well. "If that's what you would like," he said, slowly pushing his boxers down and taking them off, throwing them off the bed. He was naked now and Alfred just stared. Alfred noticed how Arthur blushed as he stared, probably beginning to feel embarrassed over his own body.

But soon Alfred's hands grasped his hips and moved them up and down his outer thigh. His hands were rough, he knew, but Arthur seemed to be enjoying the feeling. Alfred moved his head and began to kiss the junction between Arthur's neck and shoulder. He moved his hands, deciding to rub up and down his inner thighs. Arthur was hard at this point and Alfred could practically feel the heat emanating from that area.

After a few more moments of touching, Arthur interrupted. "Can I remove your trousers now, Alfred?" he asked quietly. The suckling on Arthur's skin stopped. Arthur fiddled with the hairs at the base of Alfred's neck, staring down the other's back. It was lined with slight freckles here and there. Arthur began to trace patterns with them as he waited for Alfred to respond. Alfred had moved his hands back to Arthur's hips, rubbing his thumb gently in the area between his leg and groin. Arthur squirmed at the sensation.

"Um," Alfred began. They had come this far, and Arthur was brave for being the first to undress completely. And Arthur looked amazing. His skin was really pale and rough in some places, but to Alfred…he was perfect. "Yeah, you can, um, you can take them off now."

Alfred leaned back, resting his head into the pillows beneath his head and waiting. Arthur gave him a small smile of encouragement and shifted away slightly, unbuttoning the pants and carefully lowering the zipper. Alfred, of course, wasn't wearing anything underneath. Arthur slowly pulled the pants down until they were around his ankles. Alfred kicked them off and parted his legs a bit. He desperately wanted to cover himself. Arthur was just _staring_, taking him in, and his face was heating up and he didn't think he could get any redder at this point. But Alfred abstained from moving his hands, clenching them into fists instead and letting Arthur see him naked for the very first time.

Arthur's hands shifted, rubbing along Alfred's thighs. "Like I said earlier," he murmured, "you're gorgeous."

He pressed their bodies flush together and Alfred groaned at the contact. Arthur bucked his hips into Alfred's, pressing their erections against one another, sending small waves of pleasure throughout his body. Alfred was hot. He was burning. They were sweating and making slight grunting sounds as they moved together, trying to create enough friction and heat to bring to release the tight coiling in their groins.

The mattress underneath them shifted with their weight and thrusts. Hips bucked against one another, causing more heat to pool down Alfred's length. Arthur was kissing him all over, whispering sweet nothings into his ear, his accent much thicker than before. All Alfred could do was moan in response, his voice getting caught as he became even more breathless.

Arthur soon stopped the movements and lay there, breathing heavily. Alfred whined and bucked his hips in protest, but Arthur's arms held his hips down. "Wait just a moment," he said and began to kiss Alfred's neck.

He worked his way down his chest, planting wet kisses against Alfred's hot skin. He shivered in response. Soon Arthur was at his belly button, kissing it gently and bringing his lips down until the tip of his nose touched the curly hairs below. He lifted his head and looked at Alfred, who looked away.

"Alfred?"

"Um, that feels…good. It all feels really good," he said, not knowing what to say at this point. It was still a weird feeling for Arthur to see him like this.

Arthur gave a small smile. "I'm glad," he said, and continued to look down Alfred's body. "I don't think either of us has any lube for us to continue, well, rubbing against one another. It might hurt, so…can I…?" Arthur trailed off, lowering his head so that his mouth was near the base of Alfred's cock. Alfred looked down and felt the urge to close his legs together.

Which he accidently did.

"Oof!" Arthur shouted as his head was squeezed between both of Alfred's legs.

"Ah, shit, sorry!" Alfred said immediately, opening his legs a little to release his poor boyfriend's head.

Arthur gave him a deadpan look, but then his expression softened. "Spread your legs, dear," he said quietly, rubbing circles in Alfred's inner thighs. Alfred nodded and spread his legs as far as they could go without the stretching getting too uncomfortable. His face was red hot now and a flush shown throughout his whole body. Like this, Arthur could see _everything_. Alfred was nervous as fuck.

But then Arthur lowered his head back down and began to kiss the base of his cock. Alfred gasped at the sensation. Arthur began to trail kisses until the tip. It was soft and gentle, and something totally unlike what he thought his boyfriend would do. But he knew Arthur was taking it slow for him…and his heart ached when he realized that.

"Look at me," Arthur said suddenly, his eyes peering up Alfred's body. Alfred had turned his head away before, but then turned it so that he was staring right into Arthur's eyes. He loved this man so much…and he smiled down, answering Arthur with an "ok".

He began to lick at the tip and Alfred tried to concentrate on not making too much noise. The tongue was hot on his length and he felt his cock begin to drip. Then suddenly, Arthur took in the tip with his mouth and began to suck. Alfred moaned loudly, his toes curling into the sheets beneath him, trying to keep his gaze on Arthur even though all he wanted to do was throw his head back into the pillows.

Arthur began to bob his head up and down, humming as he did so, the vibrations sending jolts of pleasure throughout Alfred's body. Arthur's mouth felt amazing, hot and tight and damn, that tongue was doing wonders. But more so than the actual sensations was the sight of Arthur, head between his legs bobbing up and down, gazing right back at him and smiling. Alfred noticed that one of Arthur's hands was gone from his hips, and he realized Arthur was pleasuring himself while pleasuring Alfred. It was such a personal, private moment and Alfred nearly came on the spot.

But Arthur removed his head before that could happen. He lifted himself and shifted forward, bringing both of their cocks together so that they were touching. Alfred shivered at the feeling.

And then, there was nothing but movement. They rocked their hips back and forth as they had done earlier, relishing in the sensations, no longer full of dry friction, but that of fluid movement. Alfred felt a pressure build up inside of him, and he only needed a few more thrusts until he released. Arthur stared down at him, moaning himself as he began to fist their cocks, and Alfred could only stare back. "Alfred, Alfred…" he heard Arthur whisper. "I love you, love you, you're so fucking gorgeous, s-so, fuck, _Alfred_!"

Alfred came with choking sound, coming over his stomach as Arthur did the same. He didn't remove his gaze throughout his orgasm, intending for Arthur to see everything, everything that was going on in his eyes and on his face.

It lasted only a moment until it was over. Arthur had collapsed on top of Alfred's chest. They were both breathing heavily, sweaty and flushed and sated. Alfred's muscles were incredibly relaxed, his lower body feeling a bit like jelly. He stared up at the ceiling and gave a small laugh. "T-that was awesome…" he said, his voice deep and still cracking slightly. Arthur hummed in response.

"It was," he agreed, circling patterns on Alfred's chest with his finger. They both lied there for another moment before Arthur lifted his head to look into Alfred's eyes. "Thank you," he whispered softly. Alfred felt his heart ache again.

Arthur shifted and got off the bed, making his way to the bathroom. Alfred felt cold without his body near him. He heard the faucet of the sink and looked down. His stomach was a complete mess, but he knew Arthur's stomach couldn't have been much better.

He turned his head as he noticed Arthur walking back to the bed, turning the light switch off in the process. The light through the window still provided enough light for everything to be seen clearly. Arthur, towel in hand, sat on the edge of the bed and began to wipe Alfred's stomach clean. Alfred noticed Arthur's stomach had already been wiped down.

He closed his eyes and let Arthur work. He then realized, however, that he was still very much naked…but what did it matter now? Alfred knew he was still going to continue being shy, at least for the time being, but this was improvement. And it felt great.

The wiping stopped and Alfred felt a shift in the mattress as Arthur leaned down to cuddle close to his form. Alfred wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and smiled. "We totally have to do this tomorrow."

"Hmph," Arthur responded, but smiling as well. "This time you should do all the work." Alfred chuckled and kissed the top of Arthur's head.

"You know, we still haven't eaten dinner yet…" he said. They had skipped Francis' dinner party and he was just now realizing how hungry he actually was.

Arthur groaned. "I don't feel like getting up…" he said, closing his eyes and burying his head further into Alfred's shoulder.

"Maybe we can just order a pizza…maybe watch a movie too?" Alfred suggested. Arthur nodded in response and shifted closer. "And, afterwards, maybe…you can sleep here tonight, and stuff…" Alfred bit his lower lip, slightly nervous about Arthur's response. He hadn't exactly thought about whether or not Arthur enjoyed tonight like he did, and what if Arthur said he wanted to sleep on the couch, or-?

But Arthur smiled and pecked his lips. "That would be lovely."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So, what started as a simple oneshot turned into…well, this. Haha, hope you all enjoyed! My purpose for writing it? Besides my headcanon concerning Alfred's body image and self-esteem, I really wanted to write a disgruntled Arthur in nothing but a shirt, boxers, and socks standing menacingly before someone xD

And on a more serious note, I realize that I haven't participated in the fandom since…well, since December. And I want to apologize to those who were reading my fic "Different" and "Arthur's Phases", which I haven't continued. I'd like to consider this fic a "coming back" in a way. Life became very difficult for me in college that I really found myself unable to write all year. But now that the summer is here, I'm back on my feet :) I just wanted to thank you guys for being so supportive. You're all super amazing. With that, I'll just say that I'm going to try my best to get the next chapter of my fics out as soon as possible.

Also, random note: This is my first time writing sex, heh. Critiques would be lovely :)


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